Need a lot of help

Well I am new to the Tarot. A friend of mine bought a set of Tarot cards (I have no idea what deck it was, I was not impressed with them). I got really interested in the reading of Tarot cards. So I went and bought a set called "The Introduction to Tarot". It had a book titled the same, 2 decks of cards (Rider-Waite and the Crowley Throth), and a journal book. I read the book and tryed the Rider-Waite deck when I started doing my 30 day journal. Well I just could not get the deck to shufle for me at all. I desided to try the Crowley Throth deck and that has been working for me since. The only thing is that the book that I have I really don't understand alot of the basic stuff in it and I don't feel that it explaines a hole lot either. Can anyone tell me what if there are any, books that will and can help me out on this. I have been really discuraged lately and I have not picked up my cards for about a month. And It is all because I don't understand some things that others might think is minor but I think that it is a big deal that I need to understand before I go back and try them again. Any info will help.
hellena

hi helleena,

Sorry to hear you've been discouraged, but I fully understand that about the Thoth! It can do that!

I've found "The Crowley Tarot: Handbook to the Cards" by Akron and Banzhaf, Hajo really helpful because of their breakdown of the symbolism. Gives both the light and shadow qualities of each card, and lots of detail about the artwork. (like it more for the card descriptions than the card interpretations)

Hope it helps!

Helleena,
Try not to get discouraged. There's so much going on in the Thoth, that even though I *love* this deck, I don't understand half the stuff going on in it. I've gotten a few books, mainly The Book of Thoth by Crowley himself, and The Golden Dawn by Israel Regardie, hoping they will shed some light on the deck and the symbolism, but I wouldn't recommend these two books to a beginner.
Try lionette's suggestion, and get a feel for the cards. I can try starting a daily reading of the cards, and posting on here each card I get, so we can talk about it. That might help the beginners (of which I definitely count myself among! ).
Anyone object?

~T~

Great idea, Triquetra, please do it !!

Mind if I join in now and then? I'm still a novice with Thoth and would love to be able to discuss a little. (I'm terrible busy with grad school right now, but can always make a little time for tarot every couple days!)

I'd love to, and I know how it is to be busy, right now I'm in the middle of clinical rotations, and don't get much sleep as it is, but I think I can do one or two, maybe three cards a week, definitely 1, on Sundays.

I am new to the Thoth having owned it for less than a month I have found it easer to work with with some experance behind me. don't get me wroge i still see my self as a novice but i have only just felt more comforable with the Thoth.

Any way ,that was a little ramble I have posted in your daily draw today and I like the idea and hope you don't mind.

My advise is to keep going and don't get to boged down with all the symbolism at the start that will come later. I hope.

Since you have an RWS it may help to take both this AND your Thoth deck, placed side by side and (in order) begin turning over the cards so that the same number/suite cards lie side by side. Then look at the RWS image... look back at the Thoth, paying particular attention to the keyword. Try to make a connection between the two...

If the problem is that you get little (yet) from abstract minors of the Thoth, the images from another deck may help. If you are still keen (and rich!) there are other decks that illustrate the Thoth keywords rather better than RWS. I must admit, I learnt on one (or two) of those by the above method. There are threads here devoted to various Thoth work-alikes...

Macavity

That sounds great to me too

Hey everyone I just wanted to say that everything that you have wrote I am going to try or look in to. And as for the daily thing that sounds like a great Idea.

But as am like most of you I really don't get much time to work on the computer. I work 11p-7a and I am a CNA to boot so I am really exausted when I get home in the morning and the last thing that I really want is to sit at the computer. But I still do when I can not sleep. That is how I found this great place.

And thanks again for the info.

I have always used RWS. I'm going to try these cards. At first they bothered me but I think they are blunt & aggressive. I feel that the RWS goes around the card & Thoth goes through the card. I know nothing about these cards & studying them for extra info. Very colourful & very confusing.
Won't be much help, be watching the threads & I'll help if I can.

I got the DuQuette book, "Understanding the Thoth" and read part 1 last night. Very, very helpful and not the difficult read that all have said was true of other Crowley books. This book clarified a lot of things for me and I'm inspired to really work with my Thoth deck now.

And a question--is the Gill a Thoth workalike? I like it so much, and thought of using it as a pairing with the Thoth for understanding. After reading a lot on AT, I'm thinking that pairing with the RWS is not a good idea--the decks need to be read separately, like separate languages have their own internal "spirit."